Name: Dan

Message: How do I dye clothes to make them NOT DULL like is there a low gloss to add? I dyed them in a large load with black rit and they all got a little darker but everything looks dull or faded still. In certain type of light they all look faded. Is there a clear coat to dye bath in?

You need to start over and use a much higher-quality dye. All-purpose dyes do not produce a good color intensity or brilliance, and they get more faded with every washing. 

You also need to think about your fabric. You cannot dye polyester with ordinary dyes or procedures; dyeing polyester is not a job for the dye novice. For the brightest colors, you should use 100% cotton that has been mercerized, or at least some sort of 100% cotton; 100% rayon also gives good, intense colors. It is very important to avoid poly/cotton blends, as well as any clothing that has been treated to make it stain-resistant or permanent-press.

The best way to dye is to start with PFD (prepared for dyeing) clothing and use only high quality, fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye. Buy your dye by mail-order, because it is difficult to find high quality dyes locally. Look at my page listing Sources of Dyeing Supplies Around the World .

When dyeing black, you must use a larger amount of dye than other colors, as well. You should use two to four times as much black dye as you would use of another color. Black all-purpose dye will not work well even in larger concentrations, though, because it is a relatively poor quality dye.

If what you really want is a shine, rather than a deep intense dark black, you will need to use fabric paint instead of dye. You could get some nice effects by dyeing with Procion MX dye and then applying a high quality fabric paint of the same color on top. See "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers", for more information about the difference between paint and dye. However, fabric paint tends to wear off clothing much more quickly than dye, and is not as suitable for deep intense colors.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)